Atomizers



S. M. CROCE July 17, 1956 ATOMIZEIRS Filed July 24, 1953 /62 A TTOPNE) INVENTOR SA/vry 7. C/POCE VIII/4 United States Patent.

ATOMIZERS Santy M. Croce, Hauppauge, N. Y., assignor to Coty, Inc.. New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application July 24, 1953, Serial No. 370,097

3 Claims. (Cl. 299-88) This inventionrelates to perfume atomizers.

The atomizer of the instant invention is combined in a very simple manner with a cap for a bottle which contains the perfume. It will be recognized that perfume ordinarily contains volatile ingredients and it is an object of the present invention to provide a simple perfume atomizer for a perfume bottle providing a reliable seal during periods of nonuse and wherein superior means are provided for venting off accumulated pressure before using the atomizer so as to avoid a sudden burst of perfume in the face of the user. This application represents an improvement over the atomizer disclosed in U. S. Patent Patent No. 2,578,463 which is owned by the assignee of this application.

The atomizer of the instant invention employs an actuating member in the form of a rubber bulb which is connected to the atomizing or dispensing components of the cap. This bulb is horizontally rotatable or swingable over an arc of 90. At one end of its swing the atomizer is closed, and at the other end it is open. Accordingly,

. when the user wishes to dispense the perfume, she rotates or swings the bulb 90 from the closed position and then squeezes the bulb whereupon the atomized perfume will be dispensed. A factor of considerable importance is my arrangement wherein the atomizer is closed when the bulb is in the plane of a rectangular or somewhat flat bottle and it is opened when the atomizer is turned 90 therefrom or perpendicularly to the plane of the bottle. The advantage of such structure is that the atomizer will never be in the open position while it is being shipped since during packing it will be normally disposed in the plane of the bottle because the bottle is disposed flatly in its package. The package will thereupon maintain it in this closed position and will prevent the accidental ejection of perfume during shipping or during storage.

The atomizer further comprises novel and economical structure which will be 'better understood by reference to the following description and drawings in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a bottle with the atomizer cap secured thereto and showing the atomizer apparatus in operative or open position;

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof;

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 44 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view taken along "the line 5-5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a transverse section-a1 view taken along the line 66 of Figure 3;

Figure 7 'is an exploded elevational view of the parts of the invention;

Figure 8 is a top plan view of the article as shown in Figure 1 with the atomizer apparatus in the inoperative and bottle sealing position;

Figure 9 is an enlarged vertical sectional view as taken along the line 9-9 of Figure 8; and

2,755,132 Patented July 17, 1956 Figure 10 is a sectional view taken along the line 10-10 of Figure 4.

The sealing and atomizing unit referred 'to collectively as 1 is applied to a bottle 2 containing perfume. The bottle 2 has a threaded neck which is engaged by the cap insert or liner 3, said liner 3 being press fitted into metallic outer cap or shell 4. The outer cap 4 has a central opening 5 formed in the top wall thereof and extending through said opening is a stern member 6, the lower portion of which has a disk formation 7. As noted in Figure 6, disk 7 is formed with a peripheral, arcuatecut-out 8 which extends over an arc of It is also formed with a pair of peripheral projections 9 and 10, and a pair of passages 11 and 12 which are olfset or displaced from the center of the disk. In the form shown, these openings are equidistant from said center. These passages, as will hereinafter be shown, form a portion of the complete dispensing and air vent passages when the atomizer is turned to dispensing position.

Stem 6 extends upwardly of outer cap 4 as illustrated in Figure 3 and it is frictionally embraced by the head 13 so that disassem'bly of the stem 6 from the cap 4 is prevented. In order to enhance the frictional engagement of the head and stem, stem member 6 is formed with a floor 14 and a pair of upstanding arms 15 and 16, these arms embracing a central bridge 17 within the head 13. Stem 6 fits sufiiciently loosely in the cap opening 5 so that it may rotate therein to produce either the sealed or the dispensing position of the atomizer. Inasmuch as the neck of stem 6 extends through opening 5, the cap 4 bears against the shoulder 6a of stem 6 so as to urge the stem 6 downwardly as the .cap is screwed down. The pass-ages 11 and 12 continue into and through stem 6 up to its floor 14. Passage 12 terminates in a small depression or groove 18 of said floor so as to provide a vent as will be hereinafter described.

Head 13 is formed with a transverse ejection passage 19 adjacent one end of its bridge 17 which communicates wit-h passage 11 of stem 6. In order to assure the proper mating between the head 13 and stem 6, the head is formed with a key 20 which fits into a corresponding vertical groove of the stem 6 as illustrated in Figure 4. At the other end of bridge 17, the inner wall of head 13 is formed with a vertical groove 21 which communicates at one end with the passage 12 and at the other end with the open atmosphere as illustrated in Figure 9.

Head 13 is further formed with a transverse passage which communicates at one end with the ejection passage 19. The other end thereof receives the air duct 23 which fits snugly therein and has a reduced inner end which extends past the passage 11. Duct 23 is formed with a central passage 24 which thus communicates with passage 11 and which is in alignment with ejection passage 19 so as to provide the usual :and conventional atomizing passages. The outer end of duct 23 has secured thereto a deformable hollow rubber bulb 25 shown herein as of oval form, for lowering the air pressure in the dispensing passages and causing perfume to be dispensed therefrom.

The bottle neck is provided with stopper means which co-operate with the cap portions hereinabove described in order to produce the atomizer and seal of the instant invention. Thus, a stopper-like member 26 is press fitted into the neck of the bottle and contains or carries the cooperating elements. Stopper 26 includes an upper cup 27 which rests on the bottle neck, and a skirt 28 which frictionally engages the inner wall of the bottle neck. The floor of cup 27 is formed with two openings, i. e. opening 29 which is adapted to communicate with passage 12 in the atomizing or dispensing position and opening 30 which is likewise adapted to communicate with passage 11. Formed integrally with the floor of cup 27 is a tube 31, the central opening of which is coincident with opening 30. Secured over tube 31 is a conventional form of wick 32.

The wall of cup 27 is formed with an inwardly extending lug 33 and the floor of the cup is formed with a square groove or depression in which is seated a square, resilient rubber gasket or pad 34. Gasket 34 has a pair of openings 35 and 36 which are in alignment with the stopper openings 29 and 30. Inasmuch as gasket 34 is seated in a square groove formed in the floor of cup 27. its openings are always in alignment with the openings of the stopper member 26. As will be noted in Figures 9 and 6, the disk 7 of the stem 6 rests and rotates upon the gasket 34. Further, when the cap 4 is screwed down on the bottle neck, it compacts the stem 6, the gasket 34 and the floor of cup 27 into intimate contact so as to insure a proper seal and a proper atomizing action. The wall of cup 27 is further provided with a projection 37 for co-operating with the projections 9 and 10 of disk 7 in indicating either the closed or open positions of the atomizer as will be hereinafter explained.

The atomizer as described, is simple in operation and economical to manufacture and further produces the advantages as set forth herein. Briefly, when the deformable bulb 25 is disposed so that it is parallel to the flat front and rear walls of the rectangular bottle 2, the dispensing passages are out of alignment as will be noted in Figure 9. In other words, both of the passages 29 and 30 of stopper 26 are out of alignment with the passages 11 and 12 of stem 6. This prevents the escape of container fluid from the bottle and pressure upon bulb 25 will not dispense any perfume. In this manner the combined bottle and atomizer may be securely shipped in a fiat container wherein the bulb cannot turn to the operative position. Similarly, the perfume and atomizer combination will remain in this state during periods of nonuse by the purchaser.

In order to be able to use the device as an atomizer, the user merely rotates the head 90'. This is merely done by rotating the head to the right (as shown in the drawings herein) to the end of its swing until stopped by the meeting of one end of the cut-out 8 with the lug 33. Thus, the 90 cut-out 8 guides this action. At the same time, the projection 10 passes the projection 37 and produces a slight click or signal indicating that the head has arrived in the right position for dispensing. This brings the passages into continuity and pressure upon the bulb will dispense the perfume in an atomized spray. It will further be noted that when the head is returned to the sealing position. the projection 9 produces another signal in co-operation with projection 37.

An important feature in the instant invention resides in the escape of built up vapor pressure above the perfume level when the atomizer is rotated from its sealed position to its dispensing position. Thus, changes in temperature or other factors may build up the pressure above the perfume level which remains looked as long as the atomizer is in its sealed position. If this pressure were not permitted to dissipate itself, there might be produced a sudden discharge from passage 19 when the passages of stem 6 and stopper 26 are brought into matching relationship. This would cause a burst of perfume which is undesirable and wasteful. However, simultaneously with the matching of the passages for dispensing perfume the vent openings 29 and 12 become aligned so that the pressure may escape through such openings, as well as through groove 18 and vertical groove 21 which communicates with the open atmosphere and discharges such pressure. Accordingly, rotation of the head to the dispensing position automatically discharges any vapor pressure in the bottle without carrying perfume with it.

Most of the components of the atomizer may be formed of plastic material such as nylon or polyethylene although the gasket, cap and bulb are preferably formed of other materials as mentioned herein.

What is claimed is:

1. An atomizer for dispensing liquid from a bottle having a neck, said atomizer comprising a stopper member having a passage formed therein and displaced from the center of said stopper member, a stem member having a passage therethrough likewise displaced from said center so that in one relative position of said stern member and said stopper member said passages are in alignment with each other, said stopper member having a second passage therethrough displaced from the center of said stopper member on the other side thereof, said stem member having a second passage therethrough likewise displaced from said center on the opposite side thereof so that in one relative position of said stem member and said stopper member said second passages are in alignment with each other, said first and second passages being adapted to be aligned simultaneously while said second passage in said stem member communicates with the atmosphere, a cap having threads thereon adapted to threadedly engage the neck of the bottle and simultaneously engaging said stem member for urging it against said stopper member as the cap is threaded down on the neck of the bottle, means for rotating said stem member relative to said cap and to said stopper member from said position of passage alignment to a position where none of said passages are aligned, said stopper member comprising a cup having said stopper member first and second passages therethrough, said cup being formed with a depressed floor, a resilient gasket fitted in said depressed floor and having first and second openings aligned with said first and second passages in said cup, a lug on said cup adjacent said floor, said stem member comprising a disk portion adapted to rest on said gasket, said disk portion having an arcuate groove adapted to receive said ing and to permit rotation of said stem member relative to said stopper member within substantially ninety degree limits, said stem member extending upwardly through the top wall of said cap and being rotatable therein.

2. An atomizer according to claim 1 and including a head secured to the top of said stem member, said head having a substantially horizontal opening therethrough, a deformable actuating element connected to said head at one end of said horizontal opening in said head, the other end of said horizontal opening being open to the atmosphere, said head having a first opening aligned with said first opening in said stem member and communicating with said horizontal opening, said head having a second opening communicating with said second opening in said stem member and communicating with the atmosphere when said first and second passages are aligned.

3. An atomizer for dispensing liquid from a bottle having a neck, said atomizer comprising a deformable actuating element, an air duct connected to said deformable element so as to produce an air stream therethrough when said element is actuated, a head to which said duct is connected, said head having an opening therethrough, a stopper member having a first passage formed therein and displaced from the center of said stopper member, a stern member having a first passage therethrough likewise displaced from said center so that in one relative position of said stem member and said stopper member said passages are in alignment with each other, said stopper member having a second passage therethrough displaced from the center of said stopper member on the other side thereof, said stem member having a second passage therethrough likewise displaced from said center on the opposite side thereof so that in one relative position of said stem member and said stopper member said second passages are in alignment with each other, said first'and second passages being adapted to be aligned simultaneously while said second passage in said stem member communicates with the atmosphere, said head being secured to the top of said stem member, said head having a first passage aligned with said first passage in ti ,m member and communicating with said head opening, said head having a second passage communicating with said second passage in said stem member and communicating with the atmosphere when said first and second passages of both said stem and stopper members are aligned, a cap having threads thereon adapted to threadedly engage the neck of the bottle for urging said stern member against said stopper member and said deformable actuating element being rotatable so as to rotate said head together with said stern member relative to said cap and to said stopper member from said position of alignment to a position where none of said passages are aligned, said cap having a central opening formed therethrough and said stem member extending through said cap central opening and being thereby engaged by said cap for urging it downwardly as the cap is screwed down, said cap simultaneously engaging said stopper member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

